Editorial: Transparency law welcome

Gov. Rick Scott last week signed into law two business-related bills that caught our attention. One will help make Enterprise Florida more accountable; the second puts into place a tax break that will help Florida businesses compete with neighboring states.

On Friday, Scott signed the bill that will make sure taxpayer-funded deals put together by Enterprise Florida will require a full accounting of how much is being spent, information about the jobs being promised and if those promises are fulfilled.

We appreciate the state Legislature and the governor for working to make sure those we pay to create jobs have to deliver on their promises. After all, if pie-in-the-sky promises are not kept, going after some jobs can be a losing investment. It's critical that those given public money be held up to scrutiny.

We're not alone in our appreciation of any law that keeps better tabs on taxpayer money. Integrity Florida, the statewide watchdog, also weighed in.

"It's encouraging to see bipartisan support for more transparency, accountability and proof of return on investment for taxpayers," Integrity Florida's Dan Krassner said in an email following Scott's decision to sign the bill into law. "Integrity Florida would like to recognize the bipartisan commitment to more transparency and accountability for the state's economic development programs."

Krassner singled out Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville and House Speaker Will Weatherford for their role in getting this and other reforms passed.

Krassner said thus far Enterprise Florida has not delivered on promises in about 21 years. He points out that in 1992, the Florida Legislature created Enterprise Florida with an initial objective of creating 200,000 "high-wage" jobs by 2005.

"Eight years beyond its original deadline for job creation, Enterprise Florida is less than halfway to its jobs goal," he pointed out, adding the agency gets 90 percent of its funding from taxpayers.

This bill will allow the public to better gauge what is being done and more imporantly, what's not being done.

It's our money. We should be allowed to see how it's spent and misspent.

The second bill gets rid of the manufacturing and equipment sales tax. When the governor visited our Editorial Board last month he promised to sign the bill that would give businesses a break, allowing them to upgrade their equipment, making them more competitive with neighboring states.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce predicted last week the new law will create jobs.

"Florida has been at a competitive disadvantage by being the only state on the Atlantic seaboard and on the Gulf Coast to charge sales taxes on manufacturing equipment," Mark Wilson, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Chamber said in a news release.

We commend the governor and lawmakers for their role in allowing business to flourish while doing more to ensure taxpayer money is being spent wisely.